


One Thing Is For Sure, I Don't Play The Game

by Anonymous



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Body Horror, Cannibalism, Gun Violence, M/M, Murder, Newspapers, Panic Attacks, Small Towns, Trope: A Fete Worse Than Death, Trope: I Love The Dead, Unrequited Love, accidental necrophilia, disorderly love, plz these tags are so bad, read notes for full warnings, these tags are full of spoilers FYI
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23162350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Taeyong is the newbie in town, looking for a story about small town life, but Jaehyun’s town doesn’t want him to unearth their secrets. The only bit the town didn’t expect, was Jaehyun working to save Taeyong.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 15
Kudos: 23
Collections: NCT Spookfest Spring Scream, anon





	One Thing Is For Sure, I Don't Play The Game

**Author's Note:**

> i would like to thank my betas for helping me with this. i love you guys lots.
> 
> alright warning time! these do contain spoilers fyi
> 
> \- graphic violence  
> \- anxiety/panic attacks  
> -vomitting (this is much more mild than the other things on this list)  
> \- mentioned suicide  
> \- body horror (this is A Lot)  
> \- accidental necrophilia (it makes sense with the fic)  
> \- cannibalism (of the dead)  
> \- sex
> 
> if you're not gasping and screaming while reading this you're reading it wrong

“Jaehyun, sweetie,” Jaehyun’s mother calls from the dining room. He cringes internally at the nickname, forcing himself to get off his bed and walk the 200 feet from his bedroom to the dining room. Both of his parents are sitting on either end of a long, dark oak table that’s generally used for parties. Jaehyun can’t even remember the last time he sat there.

“Yes, Mom?” Jaehyun asks, words hurting to say. Not being able to anticipate his mother’s next move makes him anxious to no end, but it isn’t like he’s ever been able to.

“Take a seat. Your father and I want to talk to you about something.” Her mouth creases down, indicating that this is a serious conversation she’s been thinking about for some time. Jaehyun attempts to smile, but he can tell he looks awkward by the twitch in his mom’s mouth, so he drops it. He slips into the seat farthest from either parent, three seats on the left and three on the right, but three chairs aren’t far away enough for a situation like this.

“What did you want to talk about?” Thinking about every syllable to say gets tiring after a while, but with practice it at least gets a bit faster. Jaehyun can feel each movement of his tongue, pleased when he gets his words out with no pauses or stutters. Both parents share a glance, spiking Jaehyun’s blood pressure.

“Your mother and I think it’s time for you to get a job,” Jaehyun’s father says with the same timbre as Jaehyun, only deeper from his years.  _ A job. _ That’s not what Jaehyun had expected at all. He thought he’d be getting thrown out or disowned, but a job isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

A job means speaking to people. A job means spending hours in situations where he doesn’t have the upper hand — where he’d be  _ vulnerable. _ Taking a moment to swallow down any visible fear, Jaehyun speaks again.

“Where would I work?” There are different types of jobs in town, although not many. He could be a farm hand or a mechanic; both jobs that wouldn’t suck completely, but those are hard labour jobs, so his parents won’t force him to work there. Which can only mean…

“You will be working at the diner in town,” his mother reveals. Just as Jaehyun’s worst fears anticipated. Working at a diner is basically all customer service, and Jaehyun can’t do that. He knows he can’t. Being pretty doesn’t mean an automatic pass for being friendly; all it means is that people let more slide than they should. Jaehyun can feel the muscles in his arm start to tighten and ache. He needs to leave.

“Okay,” is all Jaehyun can manage to say. The table remains silent for a moment, the pounding of blood in the tops of his ears the only thing Jaehyun can hear. He won’t say he has won the genetic lottery by any means, but he’s lucky that his face rarely turns red when he blushes. It always starts in his ears, then his neck, and finally, it climbs to his cheeks.

“Okay?” his mom looks pleasantly surprised by Jaehyun agreeing, and normally, Jaehyun would fight something like this until he passes out. Tonight, he’s much closer to the precipice of…  _ something _ than he usually is and he knows it. That, and his mother said ‘will.’ 

Jaehyun’s made a habit of taking notes of the exact words people use. Words are important and can give much away when reading between the lines. Jaehyun doesn’t like people using words to hide their true meaning; it’s more thinking and stressing for him. Why not just say your true thoughts? If everyone did that, no one would be offended by it because it would be the norm.

Jaehyun pushes his chair back and exits the room without another word. His parents don’t really expect him to stay, so it’s okay. Pausing by the balcony, Jaehyun can see clearly through the tall windows into the woods. Fog wraps around the trees and comes to gently brush against the town hall.

Laying back down in bed, Jaehyun counts to a hundred. It’s purely for his own benefit; his heart still pounds from the interaction with his parents. What is up with him today anyway? Something feels different and it’s rubbing Jaehyun the wrong way.

* * *

The next day, as the sun dips below the trees and the fog reels back in, Jaehyun slips his tennis shoes on. Every night, Jaehyun takes a run to clear his head so he can sleep easier. It’d be even better if he could run during the day, but the fear of someone seeing him always puts a stop to that.

A benefit to running at night though is Jaehyun can wear pants. Too bad tonight is hot and stuffy. Shorts it is. Jaehyun realizes that he hasn’t worn these shorts since tenth grade, so they show a bit more leg than he’s normally comfortable with, but it isn’t anything he hasn’t seen before.

Starting his loop through the forest, Jaehyun takes in the sweet smell of the earth. If there’s one thing Jaehyun loves, it's the forest. It’s a constant in his life. He supposes the fog could be included in that, but the fog would dissipate for a few hours during the day. The forest is home to Jaehyun and always has been.

When Jaehyun was younger, the kids would tease him for not talking or stuttering as he spoke. To get away from their fists and hateful words, Jaehyun would sneak into the forest near his school and wait for them to leave. While this isn’t the same forest, Jaehyun likes to think of them as brothers since they’re so close to each other.

Biggest plus of living in a town of five hundred is never seeing students you went to school with. Sure, there are a few kids in town, but they’re either way younger than him or much older and already moved out. This means being bussed to school everyday, though, which is an experience Jaehyun would much rather forget about.

The forest gets darker and darker the longer Jaehyun runs. His lungs push and push until he reaches the only hotel in town. It’s pressed right into the tree line with two guest rooms that only get rented out when the occasional trucker comes through town.

Instead of the back windows being dark, there’s a light on inside. Jaehyun would assume that it’s the owners of the home, but he knows that they go to the diner every night for fries. Checking his watch, Jaehyun sees that it's only 8:23 in the evening. The owners aren’t here.

Taking a few steps closer, while still sticking to the trees, Jaehyun can make out the shape of a person through one of the windows. Jaehyun drops to his knees so he can crawl the last twenty feet to the edge of the house. Without thinking, Jaehyun presses his back against the wall of the house, still out of the person’s sight.

The person begins to sing softly, slowly gaining volume as they gain more confidence. Jaehyun doesn’t know the name of the song, but he already loves it. The voice isn’t perfect and breaks a few times, but it’s deep and soothing in a way Jaehyun hasn’t heard in a long time. Humming along with them under his breath is nice until the singing stops.

Jaehyun freezes; he must have been caught. Listening closer, he hears the sound of the shower. Straining to hear anything else from the mystery thing, Jaehyun scooches closer to the window. Soft whines are heard over the rushing water and Jaehyun has half a mind to run away and pretend he heard nothing.

The whines develop into moans, only growing in volume and guilt starts to set into Jaehyun. Here he is, listening to someone get themselves off without his knowledge. Panic rises in Jaehyun’s throat. The illusion snaps. He’s on his feet and a hundred feet away before the mystery person even realizes someone was there.

* * *

Jaehyun hates working at the dinner already. He works from 11-7 pm a few days a week, but it still sucks ass spectacularly. His boss isn’t evil and the customers aren’t rude, but it’s so stressful that he cries during all of his breaks.

Everyone’s been buzzing for the past few days with the news that there’s someone new in town. Part of Jaehyun thinks it must be the mystery person from several days ago, but that part is still in denial. Jaehyun is pouring someone’s coffee and taking down their order when the doorbell chimes. Sparing a glance in that direction is the wrong thing to do, as it’s the new person who walked in. Jaehyun wraps up with his customer quickly and tries to count to ten before reaching their booth but it doesn’t quite work.

“Can I help you?” Jaehyun asks, using one hand to hold the order pad and the other holding his wrist. To relieve some of the built up stress, Jaehyun pinches down on the soft skin of his wrist.

“One black coffee, please.” Jaehyun shouldn’t have looked, but he can’t help it. Fuck. This just might be the most beautiful human alive. Strong jawline, defined lips, prominent brows and delicate build. It also confirms one thing: this is the mystery person. There’s no question about it. The voice is the same, and Jaehyun has never seen him before.

“Can I get you anything else?” Jaehyun’s tongue feels like rubber in his mouth. Too large and not dexile enough to be useful.

“No that will be all.” The man smiles at Jaehyun, who tries to return it a little bit. “Thank you, Jaehyun.” The way he says Jaehyun’s name has Jaehyun seeing stars. He nods, waves goodbye, and nearly runs back into the kitchen. He definitely fucked that up.

Jaehyun can feel the muscles in his face begin to ache from stress. One day his face will be stuck in his stupid ugly smile.  _ Fuck _ . What was he thinking by waving? Most people don’t wave to others while they’re inside; it makes no sense. Counting isn’t helping at all, and Jaehyun is about to get hounded by his boss for not working.

He can’t stay here.

In a flash, Jaehyun’s back outside. Wearing his work apron outside feels wrong, but he’s closer to breathing correctly again. Stars still swim in his vision, so Jaehyun rushes to the tree line. Pressing his hands against the trunk and closing his eyes seems to help for a moment. The memory replays again. And again. Before Jaehyun can even register what’s happening, he’s throwing up.

* * *

Jaehyun has always hated town meetings, which isn’t surprising. He pads quietly down the curving staircase to the first floor. Since Jaehyun and his parents live on the second floor, the first floor is mostly old offices and empty storage space, except for the center. In the center is an open meeting room filled with old chairs in navy and gold swirls with wallpaper from the previous century.

This room rubs Jaehyun the wrong way. It’s historic in it’s own way, sure, but the decisions that go down in this room are enough to make anyone want to destroy it.

Taking a seat towards the edge of the room, Jaehyun feels eyes on him. He feels his parents’ eyes and the eyes of other adults in the room. Maybe his boss, his neighbor, the hotel owner. Jaehyun tries not to let them bother him at all. Today had been a good day after all, there’s no reason to freak out.

“I would like to call this meeting to order.” Jaehyun’s father stands behind a podium with the American flag hanging behind him. Shuffling his notes, he clears his throat. “As many of you may know, we have a new resident in town. A Mr. Lee Taeyong.”  _ Taeyong. _ Jaehyun mouths the name, feeling it out. “Normally, this wouldn’t be enough to make a big fuss, but — ” It’s that ‘but’ that really gets Jaehyun. He knows what is coming. This isn’t the first time, but it’s especially hard to brace for this time and Jaehyun doesn’t quite know why. “He seems to be planning on staying.” A mumble rolls through the crowd. It’s been almost six years since the last person who’d started to stay a little too long here.

Jaehyun fiddles with his fingers, pulling and rolling them as he bites his lip. This shouldn’t be happening. Taeyong should just leave in a few days and that’ll be it. That way Jaehyun can get over what strange feelings he gets around Taeyong.

“Thanks to a member of our community, we know that Taeyong is a journalist who is planning on staying here for several months to learn more about small town life.” Jaehyun’s father meets Jaehyun’s eyes before continuing. “This is exactly what we don’t want. He’s an outsider trying to come in and destroy us from the inside out. We cannot and will not let this so-called journalist bring us down.” Jaehyun’s father slams his fist on the podium and everyone in the room cheers. “What we have planned for Taeyong is the usual routine. On the next full moon, which is a few weeks from now, we’ll lure him to this very room and sacrifice him for the safety of our town.” Once again, everyone in the room besides Jaehyun cheers. Jaehyun feels sick to his stomach. He has to do something.

* * *

In the next week, Jaehyun takes his run every night in hopes of hearing or seeing Taeyong. He can’t explain why he does this, but here he is for the fourth night this week, listening to Taeyong sing in the shower. Taeyong’s also been stopping by the dinner every day, giving Jaehyun plenty of opportunities to panic over him.

Taeyong’s taken to flirting with Jaehyun a little bit, and Jaehyun doesn’t know if he liked it or not. Part of him, a very small, vain part, enjoys the attention from the object of his affections. The rest of him hates it. Taeyong takes Jaehyun’s insides and ties them in a knot every time they interact. With each passing day, things become easier for Jaehyun though. None of the anxiety goes away, but he feels like he can hide it a bit better each day.

Weaving through the trees, Jaehyun stops running for a moment to catch his breath. Once again, he’s fifty feet away from Taeyong’s window. Creeping closer, Jaehyun begins to hear the sounds of Taeyong talking on the phone. Jaehyun can’t make out what is being said, so he steps even closer, until he’s only inches away from the open window.

“I think I’ve found something, Johnny.” There’s a pause as this  _ Johnny _ answers. “Yes, actually. The mayor’s son, Jung Jaehyun, had a younger sister, and the town basically covered it up. I could only find one article about it, so I looked her up and found her records. She was eighteen when she died.” Jaehyun’s head starts to swim. Sister? He was told he was an only child. Gripping onto the window still to keep his balance, Jaehyun listens. “The real kicker is that she died from suicide and Jaehyun found her. There has to be something here if a girl kills herself and everyone covers it up.” There’s another pause. “I’ll see what I can get Jaehyun to tell me, but he’s so anxious around me. I can barely get him to take my order at all. So that might be a dead end. Shame too, as he’s the only one here even close to my age.” Taeyong laughs, high pitched and whiny. “I came here to work, not to get laid. Even though it  _ has _ been awhile…”

The world begins to spin and Jaehyun is seconds away from passing out, but the sound of Taeyong walking towards the bathroom door is enough to get him to run into the woods before collapsing from shock.

* * *

The days tick by and Jaehyun has no clue what to do. Somehow time slips away from him and now he has less than three hours before Taeyong is going to be lured to his death. It’s a lot weighing on Jaehyun, and if he couldn’t think of a plan two weeks ago, he definitely can’t think of anything smart now.

Jaehyun paces in his room. Everything starts to blur together, so Jaehyun takes some deep breaths. Right now, he’s in his room  — his  safe space. Everything is where it should be when he is in this room. Jaehyun’s subconscious puts images of a shirtless Taeyong laying on his bed, inviting him in, Jaehyun stops those thoughts right there. There’d be none of that.

Taeyong doesn’t seem uninterested, though, and the phone call from a few weeks ago really got Jaehyun’s gears turning. He’s been trying to be kinder to Taeyong and work with what he has. It’s been going okay. That might be an overstatement. Jaehyun has managed to flirt with Taeyong at the diner a little bit. Then, he’ll have to pretend to do something and throw up. So it’s a mixed bag. One time though, Jaehyun managed to take Taeyong’s order while looking him in the eyes.

Maybe if Jaehyun had six months, things would be different. But now, everything is falling apart. Jaehyun can’t let them kill Taeyong. Even if Taeyong never speaks to him again it would be something just to save him. To not even try… Jaehyun wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Jaehyun doesn’t want to go as far to say that he loves Taeyong. He’s only known him for a month after all. It’s just that sometimes Jaehyun’s brain shuts down for a bit and he’s left with his heart and dick which feel very differently. The blackouts aren’t bad. Just lapses in memory. Jaehyun’s never around anyone when they happen. Generally, he’s outside Taeyong’s cabin so there’s really no telling what could be going on. The only clue Jaehyun has is that on his run a few days ago, one of the trees near Taeyong’s window had been destroyed. It looked like the tree bark had been shredded off by a rabid werewolf that then took a huge chunk out with his teeth.

Jaehyun really hopes that wasn’t him, but he can’t say either way.

So, Taeyong. What to do about him? Jaehyun’s only idea is god awful. It’s also highly illegal. What idea you may ask? To kidnap Taeyong. Jaehyun has weird morals and he partially blames his family for them, so kidnapping Taeyong might not be a bad idea. Like, it's terrible. Please don’t kidnap people, but if the only other option is death? Maybe Jaehyun gets a pass for this one. It isn’t like Jaehyun’s going to ransom off Taeyong. Once Jaehyun gets Taeyong far enough away, he can go free.

Only two hours now, and Jaehyun has no other ideas. So, it’s decided. Jung Jaehyun is going to kidnap Lee Taeyong to prevent his murder.

* * *

Getting to Taeyong’s place isn’t hard. The sun is lowering, but won’t be down completely for another hour. Jaehyun knows that Taeyong won’t be lured away for another hour and a half so he has a good chunk of time.

Jaehyun comes the way he always does: through the woods. Knocking on Taeyong’s bathroom window wouldn’t be smart. It’s hard to trust someone who can’t even walk through the front door, but Jaehyun doesn’t want the home owners to see him enter. It might raise some red flags, since he’s the town loner after all.

Guess he’s knocking on the window. Fuck. Jaehyun’s insides are in knots. Jaehyun has never been big on drugs or alcohol because his parents were so strict about it. Jaehyun’s only ever had medicine once. Jaehyun can’t really remember. All he recalls is that he was twelve and something bad had happened and it was making him feel really bad. His parents pulled out a bottle of something and gave some to Jaehyun. It made him feel the most relaxed he’s ever felt, but as he has no clue what it is or where to find any of it, so he’s stuck without.

Gathering as much courage as he can, armed with the knowledge that he’s saving someone’s life, Jaehyun raps his knuckles on the window three times. There’s a pause then Taeyong is walking to the window. He looks confused and Jaehyun doesn’t blame him. Taeyong has no clue about him sitting outside his window almost every night since he arrived in town and that doesn’t have to change.

“Jaehyun?” Taeyong asks, laughing a bit, but looking overall uncomfortable as he slides open the window. The window is large enough for Taeyong to stick his whole upper body out the window and Jaehyun is almost caught up in his beautiful looks, but forces himself to look away or he will freak out.

“This is so crazy and you won’t believe me at all but the town is going to send someone here to kill you in like a little over an hour and I couldn’t let you die, so I’ve been trying to think of some way to save you for weeks, but nothing came to mind so I’m here to basically take you into the woods and get you out of here in some way — ” Taeyong’s jaw drops as Jaehyun rambles on.

“Jaehyun, slow down. The town is going to kill me? And they’ve been planning this for weeks? So you just so happen to be my ‘knight-in-shining-armor’ that will go against the entire town to save me? Do you even hear yourself?” Taeyong questions, getting more and more annoyed with each passing question. Jaehyun is close to tears at this point and has his nails digging into his hands.

“Yes,” Jaehyun stutters. He has to take a deep breath to continue at all. “I know I sound crazy, but I’m right. They really are going to come and kill you.”

“Are you just jealous or something? I see the way you look at me y’know. You aren’t nearly as subtle as you think you are.” Jaehyun’s blood runs completely cold. The mere thought that anyone knows about his infatuation with Taeyong is terrifying for so many reasons. “I have a date tonight that I have to get ready for. So, I have no clue how you found out about it, but this is childish.” Taeyong is about to slam the window shut, when Jaehyun sticks his hands under it and forces it open.

“You don’t believe me, but I know I am right and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if this stupid fucking town killed you. I’m the only one here because no one else sees what’s wrong here. They have no issues killing outsiders. I went to a fucking meeting after you had been here for like three days and they said they were gonna kill you on the next full moon which is tonight — ”

“Get out of my sight before I call your parents,” Taeyong sneers, trying to slam the window shut. Taeyong shoves Jaehyun back and closes the window, locking it. Jaehyun is in shock. So many things just happened that he can’t think about at all. There’s only one option because Taeyong will not be dying tonight.

* * *

As a preface, murder is wrong. Jaehyun doesn’t think he’s going to murder anyone, but things don’t always go according to plan. Jaehyun has a hunch about who will be coming to pick up Taeyong. Jaehyun has his money on Taeil. Taeil isn’t gay. Taeil is married to a woman and she’s seven months pregnant, but that’s the only person anywhere near Taeyong’s age who’s around here. 

Sure enough, Jaehyun sees Taeil come up the door and ring the bell from his hiding place on the side of the house. This is all going sideways. What if Taeil attacks Taeyong inside? Or tries to do something else problematic? Jaehyun can’t think those thoughts. Instead, Jaehyun finds another window that’s unlocked and sneaks inside once Taeil and Taeyong are sitting comfortably in the living room.

Jaehyun is in Taeyong’s bedroom. Under the bed is arguably a shitty place to hide but Jaehyun has no other choice; there’s no place elsewhere that’s big enough to hide him and is accessible to pair in the front room.

Taeil talks quietly, but Taeyong is loud and clear.

“You’ll never guess what happened this afternoon,” Taeyong begins. Oh fuck. Jaehyun is going to have to listen to Taeyong retell probably Jaehyun’s worst moment to date. As Taeyong explains the story Jaehyun can practically feel Taeil freaking out. 

Jaehyun has never been a part of the town’s stupid game, that’s for sure.

“Isn’t that just ridiculous?” Taeyong laughs. Jaehyun can see it in his mind. Taeyong putting his hand on Taeil’s thigh while Taeil tries not to tense at the fact that someone other than his wife is touching him. It’d be funny if this weren’t such a stressful situation.

“Taeyong.” The room falls silent and Jaehyun wants to scream ‘I told you so’ at the top of his lungs, but that isn’t helpful at all. “Jaehyun wasn’t supposed to spoil the plan, but I don’t want to engage in any kind of romantic encounter with you, so I guess I can thank him.” Taeyong begins to protest but there is the sound of something clicking and Jaehyun starts to panic. A gun. “I’m married with a lovely child on the way. So I’m glad I don’t have to spend anymore time with a whore like you.” The safety is clicked off. “So just come quietly. It’ll be easier. There’s no where you can run or hide even if you did get away from me. Your car’s gas tank has a hole in it, so you can’t leave that way and you don’t know your way well enough around here for any other option.”

“Okay,” Taeyong whispers, voice nearly silent. Jaehyun hears their footsteps towards the front door and pulls himself out from under the bed. Peaking around the corner, Jaehyun sees Taeil has his back to him. All Jaehyun can see is red.

Jaehyun is running and before anyone can even move, Jaehyun tackles Taeil to the ground. The gun goes off and shoots a hole straight through the wall. Taeyong is frozen. Jaehyun grabs the gun as Taeil struggles beneath him. Without thinking, Jaehyun cocks the gun and places it against Taeil’s head.

Boom.

Taeil is dead. Blood is everywhere and the gun is smoking and Jaehyun is staring at his hands. Left one covered in blood and right one holding a murder weapon. Taeyong is silent.

“I just killed him,” Jaehyun mumbles. He’s not talking to Taeyong or even himself at this point. Words escape his lips without even registering them. “Taeil is dead. Oh my god he had a baby. I killed a father.” Jaehyun begins to hyperventilate, which quickly sends Taeyong into action.

Taeyong bends down to Jaehyun and places his hand on Jaehyun’s chest, which somehow makes everything worse because Taeyong is touching Jaehyun and now is  _ so  _ not the time to think with his lizard brain.

“Jaehyun, breathe,  _ breathe _ . Breathe please. We need to leave,” Taeyong says, eerily calm.

“How are you calm?” Jaehyun whisper screeches.

“You were right and I’m terrified for my life, but I can’t help the crazy amount of gratitude I feel towards you. I’m sorry I was such a dick earlier,” Taeyong mumbles, eyes not meeting Jaehyun’s, but also not looking at Taeil’s lifeless body.

“We need to leave.”

Ten minutes later, the duo have a bag packed and are climbing out of the bathroom window at Jaehyun’s insistence. Jaehyun’s mind is empty and it’s almost scary. He’s so used to his mind being overly full. Too many thoughts, not enough control.

Jaehyun leads Taeyong into the woods. The fog is out now making it hard to see more than two feet ahead, but Jaehyun feels almost at home with the fog. No one can see him. It’s almost like the fog is his protective blanket.

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong calls, and Jaehyun immediately stops walking. Taeyong comes into focus and reaches for Jaehyun’s hand. “I can’t risk losing you in this fog.” Jaehyun only nods, not trusting his mouth for anything. They walk for an hour before Jaehyun feels like he has stepped out of his comfort zone. Jaehyun knows where to take Taeyong though: north. Walk north and eventually they will reach Jaehyun’s high school and can contact someone for Taeyong.

Jaehyun isn’t sure where he will go after this. There won’t be a warrant out for his name even though everyone will know he was the murderer. Maybe his parents will be shunned for raising such an awful kid, but Jaehyun has no idea and doesn’t want to think of any.

At the two hour mark, Taeyong asks if they can stop. “I need to pause. I have slight asthma. It’s really not bad, but the continuous walking and the stress from earlier isn’t helping it at all.”

“We can stop here for the night if you want,” Jaehyun suggests. Between the two of them, they only have a backpack with a change of clothes each, toiletries, and a cell phone charger. They’ve been out of range of cell towers for a while and wouldn’t be back in range until they reach the high school. Go figure that the phone companies don’t think there’s anyone in the forest that would need that connection to the rest of the world.

Jaehyun doesn’t have a nice phone though. He’s stuck with a flip phone  —  which is basically junk as Jaehyun has no contacts that could be of any help. Taeyong has a fancier phone, though, all of the popular apps and a large screen. It fits him in a way.

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong says. They’re laid flat on a patch of soft moss with Taeyong using the backpack as a pillow. Jaehyun doesn’t mind him using it. Sleeping without a pillow wouldn’t “cramp Jaehyun’s style”, as they say.

“Yeah?” 

“The reason I’m even in this tiny ass town to begin with is because of you in a way.” Taeyong hesitates, choosing his words carefully. “About six years ago, your sister killed herself.” Taeyong pauses again, waiting for a reaction from Jaehyun. How can he say that he already knew this because he listened in on one of Taeyong’s phone calls? He can’t. “So I came here to investigate the town. Because there’s one blurb about her dying, but it was hardly anything. It seems that only the town a few over even cares about what happens here because there had also been other people I saw reported about in the paper that suddenly stop showing up in it. I thought this was just a really sad town and everyone kept off-ing themselves. I had no idea — ”

“That we kill all the outsiders,” Jaehyun finishes. “I don’t remember my sister, so I can’t completely believe you, but I remember the last killing of someone who was staying here a bit too long. She was older than me too, so she would have known about other murders. It fucks you up in a strange way.” That’s probably the longest, well spoken sentence Jaehyun has ever said. He feels a tinge of pride.

Taeyong reaches out and grabs Jaehyun’s hand. “I’m so sorry.” is all he says before falling asleep.

* * *

In the morning, the fog is still heavy, maybe even thicker than the previous night. Jaehyun sits up and rubs the sleep from his eyes, assessing which direction is north. He looks over at Taeyong who’s still asleep and feels his heart clench at seeing him so relaxed. Even asleep, Taeyong still manages to outshine the sun. 

Jaehyun stares at Taeyong and feels the innate urge to push his hair back and touch his face. An angel on Earth. Taeyong stirs and Jaehyun pretends like he is looking anywhere other than at Taeyong.

“I could feel your eyes on me,” Taeyong says while Jaehyun completely faces away from Taeyong. There’s a small bit of shuffling behind him and then suddenly Taeyong’s hands are on Jaehyun’s torso. One hand slips under his shirt and the other tweaks at a nipple, causing Jaehyun to squeak. Taeyong lightly kisses along Jaehyun’s neck and ear.

Who knew it would take killing a man for Jaehyun to chill out and for Taeyong to realize Jaehyun is worth his time.  _ This is so fucked up. _ Jaehyun doesn’t want to think about the morals of the situation or how he should be panicking right now. So instead, he presses right back against Taeyong. 

Seeing the signs of encouragement, Taeyong presses his mouth harder into Jaehyun’s skin, now biting and sucking as he moves along his neck. Jaehyun can feel himself being so turned on the edges of his vision are fading, so he pulls away from Taeyong.

“Why’d you stop?” Taeyong asks, sounding a bit breathless. Jaehyun is bent over with his hands on his knees.

“It was too much.” Taeyong doesn’t respond. “I’ve never been touched like that before, much less by the person I find most beautiful.”

“That’s extremely romantic for the situation we are in,” Taeyong muses. “Shouldn’t we keep going now?I have no clue how far we have to travel.”

“We should make it there by sunset.”

* * *

Jaehyun’s right. The duo, while trapped in light fog all day, make good progress. Around lunch time, Taeyong has his phone out as he sits on a rock while Jaehyun subtly admires him.

“Jaehyun!” Taeyong calls. “I have a signal!” Something that most certainly isn’t a positive emotion courses through Jaehyun. He bites the inside of his cheek, opting not to say anything than risk saying something to upset Taeyong.

Jaehyun gazes at the little creek behind Taeyong. The water is running rapidly, but is only about three inches deep. Good enough to drink, Jaehyun notes.

“Fuck! I lost the signal,” Taeyong whines. Climbing on top of the rock, Taeyong reaches his phone into the sky, hoping for a better connection.

“Be careful — ” Before Jaehyun can even finish his sentence, Taeyong slips off the rock. Thankfully, he only scraps his arm a little bit. During the fall, his phone had slipped from his grip and fell into the water  —  into the water and out of sight.

“Fuck, fuck,  _ fuck _ . That had all of my contacts in it!” Taeyong starts to panic, and it’s weird for Jaehyun to see what it looks like in someone that isn’t himself.

“Don’t you have anyone’s number memorized?” Jaehyun asks. “Maybe Johnny’s?” Jaehyun realizes how badly he fucked up as Taeyong spins around.

“Johnny?” Taeyong queeries. “How do you know who Johnny is?” Here comes all of Jaehyun’s panic from the previous day. Fuck. He did not miss this at all. Taeyong takes a few steps closer and Jaehyun slinks away. “Jaehyun. I am trapped in the woods with you. Explain yourself.”

“I overheard you on the phone.” Taeyong looks shocked, then hurt, then confused.

“But I’ve only called Johnny twice while I’ve been here and both times I was in my bedroom,” Taeyong trails off. “You weren’t there? Oh my god you were. You must’ve beenspying on me through my bathroom window.”

“It isn’t like that — ” Jaehyun tries to protest, but Taeyong is too quick.

“Then what is it like?” Taeyong counters. “Because how else would you have known unless you were spying on me?”

“I found out because every night I run through the woods behind where you stayed,” Jaehyun can feel his face twitching as he tries to explain himself. “I heard you by accident the first time. I liked the way you sounded so I came back the next night and you were singing. I found myself wanting to listen to you sing all the time.” Jaehyun purposely leaves out the part about Jaehyun hearing Taeyong jerk off because right now that doesn’t seem like it would help his case at all.

“Heard me? In what way?’ Taeyong advances closer and Jaehyun has to dig his heels into the ground to stop himself from running away. “Did you hear me getting off?” Jaehyun can’t make himself look at Taeyong at all and that seems to be an answer within itself. “You totally did. That’s hella fucked up, but it’s also kind of hot.” Taeyong grabs Jaehyun’s chin and makes Jaehyun look him in the eyes.

Taeyong’s long finger makes it’s way from Jaehyun’s cheek, down his neck, down to the front of his chest. Stopping right above his jean button Taeyong stops. He smiles and whispers into Jaehyun’s ear, “Now just what did you fantasize about doing to me?” 

And maybe, just maybe, Jaehyun’s heart stops.

Somehow Jaehyun finds himself on the ground with his wrists pinned by his ears and Taeyong in his lap, smirking over him. It’s super hot, but something nags at Jaehyun. Why does Taeyong have no issue with this? Not that he wants Taeyong to be mad, but it feels strange.

Taeyong lets his lips hover over Jaehyun’s, eyes flicking to Jaehyun’s for consent. Jaehyun makes a small nod, scared of getting overwhelmed again. Taeyong connects their lips, softly grinding down on Jaehyun’s lap. It’s enough to get Jaehyun whining and gasping against Taeyong’s mouth.

The two kiss for an excessive amount of time, Jaehyun painfully hard through most of it. He doesn’t quite know how to ask for what he wants, even though he is almost certain Taeyong would get him off right now if he asked.

Taeyong breaks their kiss, and sits up. “Would you like some assistance?” Taeyong asks, giving a small wiggle of his hips. Jaehyun bites his lips and takes in Taeyong. There’s no way this is really happening. It honestly seems more realistic to believe that Jaehyun got shot in Taeyong’s house and is in a coma now, dreaming of Taeyong and his beautiful body.

“Yes, please,” Jaehyun admits. Taeyong smirks and gets to work.

* * *

Their afternoon being spent less than productive, Jaehyun and Taeyong only make it to the outskirts of town after the sun has set. Jaehyun looks around for a hotel or something, but the only thing in sight is a ratty looking love shack of sorts. Of course this stupid tiny town has a love shack, but no actual hotel.

“Do you have any money?” Jaehyun asks once they two are standing outside of the love shack. Large neon pink, red and purple lights taunt them in a way and Jaehyun feels his stomach twist.

“No, but I know how to pick locks,” Taeyong replies. Jaehyun isn’t sure how that will really help them as all the rooms are inside, but lets Taeyong lead him by the wrist into the makeshift hotel. Glancing left and glancing right, Taeyong sees no one to spot them and confidently walks up the stairs with Jaehyun following behind him like a puppy. 

It’s funny how much their dynamic keeps shifting. First Taeyong holds the cards, then Jaehyun and now they both have a few, but Jaehyun is giving Taeyong the lead here. Taeyong climbs two flights of stairs and picks the room closest to the stairs as the room he wants.

“Open the back pack and pull out the pencil set from the front pocket,” Taeyong demands. Jaehyun wants to ask Taeyong about why he carries a pencil case, but bites his tongue in favor of watching Taeyong pick the lock with deft hands. Jaehyun didn’t even know you could pick locks with pencils, but you learn something new every day.

The door clicks open and Taeyong waltzes inside like he owns the place. Taeyong takes the backpack from Jaehyun and pulls out some toiletries. With a smile he says, “I’m going to hop in the shower, but don’t go anywhere.” Then Taeyong’s in the bathroom and Jaehyun’s left alone for the first time in over a day.

This is the longest Jaehyun has been able to talk to someone without feeling any stress, stuttering, or just feeling weird. Go him. Jaehyun lays out his clothes for tomorrow, and paces around the room. He feels gross so he’d love to get a shower before he lays down on the big, soft bed. 

Soon enough, Taeyong comes out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. Jaehyun tries so hard to look only at Taeyong’s face because he needs to shower, not get distracted by Taeyong’s dusky nipples.

Jaehyun slips past Taeyong, who eyes him carefully as he enters the bathroom. Only when the door is locked and Jaehyun has his hands on the counter top does he realize that he forgot his pajamas on the dresser outside.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun mumbles, pushing a hand through his greasy hair. Either way he has to shower, so he reaches in and turns the knob to get the water started. The water is  _ cold _ when Jaehyun goes to touch it, so he pulls away and shakes the water off his hand.

Stripping down in the bathroom has never been something Jaehyun likes. He’s rather self conscious about his appearance. He has some muscle, but is it too much, not enough? Is he just unattractive either way? Jaehyun pushes those thoughts from his mind with some difficulty. 

Once naked, Jaehyun checks the water again. Warm. He hops in, already feeling better. Feeling all the dirt and grime come off his skin feels amazing to say the least. Jaehyun feels like a new man as he puts shampoo in his hair. As much as Jaehyun hates his appearance, he enjoys showering as it’s a special time where he can decompress.

Reluctantly getting out of the shower, Jaehyun wraps a towel around his waist, keeping the top of the towel kinda high for his own sake. Jaehyun opens the door and steps out, not really prepared to see Taeyong butt naked on their bed.

Jaehyun’s jaw drops. Taeyong is laying on his stomach with his calves in the air and elbows pressed into the bed. He is the most beautiful human ever, truly. Perfect proportions, cute ass, long legs. Jaehyun could drool.

“Like what you see, Jaehyunie,” Taeyong purrs and Jaehyun is sure if this were an anime, he would have a nose bleed because good god. 

“Yes,” Jaehyun mumbles, already feeling lightheaded from the sight of Taeyong. Taeyong sits up and beckons Jaehyun closer and who is Jaehyun to say no. He wants Taeyong so bad.

“Kiss me,” Taeyong whispers, mouth inches from Taeyong’s. Jaehyun presses their lips together, bringing one hand to Taeyong’s waist and one to cup his jaw. As they kiss, Taeyong pulls Jaehyun down to sit on the bed next to him. Side by side their tongues intermingle, pleasure going through Jaehyun’s brain at the speed of light. Every feeling heightens to the most positive extreme.

Taeyong breaks their kiss, looking all fucked out already. “Take your towel off and lay down,” Taeyong commands. This is out of Jaehyun’s comfort zone, but he’s still feeling high off the kiss. Taking the towel off, Taeyong wolf whistles and Jaehyun blushes. Jaehyun is already half hard and so is Taeyong. “You’ll never guess what I found,” Taeyong says, smirking up at Jaehyun.

“What?” Jaehyun asks, having no idea what Taeyong could be implying.Taeyong reaches over to the bedside table and grabs a small bottle of lube. “Where did you get that?”

“I found it in my backpack. I didn’t realize I had one in there,” Taeyong says, still smirking. “Lucky for you taking a while in the shower, I already prepped myself.” Taeyong presses kisses against Jaehyun’s jaw and down the column of his neck. “You’re so hot.”   


Jaehyun already feels like he’s going to explode from Taeyong’s words and touches. Each kiss pushes him closer to the edge. Taeyong wraps his fingers around Jaehyun’s cock and Jaehyun swears he sees stars. Even though Taeyong had sucked him off eariler, the thought of knowing he would get to fuck Taeyong’s tight hole made everything all the more intense.

Taeyong pulls his hand off Jaehyun and pushes Jaehyun flat on the bed. He grabs the lube and squeezes some into his hand, rubbing it all over Jaehyun’s shaft. Jaehyun moans in pleasure. “Ahh, Taeyong,” he whines, pulling at Taeyong’s hair.

“That feels good, fuck,” Taeyong mumbles. “Ready?” Jaehyun has released Taeyong’s hair and Taeyong poises over his throbbing cock. 

“I was born ready.” Jaehyun smiles. Taeyong laughs lightly and lowers himself down onto Jaehyun. Taeyong’s moaning and praising Jaehyun before he even is stuffed full of Jaehyun’s cock.

“I didn’t realize how big you were,” Taeyong admits, bouncing shyly on Jaehyun’s lap. Taeyong’s just as tight as Jaehyun expects, pulsing and convulsing around his cock as he bounces. Jaehyun’s sure that Taeyong will be the death of him at this rate.

Taeyong bounces harder and faster, clearly trying his best to pleasure himself and Jaehyun. “Fuck, my legs are tired.” Taeyong pulls off and flips himself, so he’s laying flat on the bed, pulling both of his legs towards his chest to give Jaehyun better access.

Jaehyun follows Taeyong’s lead and angles himself behind Taeyong. Jaehyun starts thrusting in slow, trying to get the hang of what he’s doing. “Jaehyun, Jaehyun,” Taeyong whines. “Please choke me.” 

Jaehyun’s brain nearly short circuits. He moves his hand to lightly rest against Taeyong’s neck and Taeyong positions his hand correctly. “Now squeeze.” Jaehyun does as he’s asked, trying to keep the rhythm of his thrusts as he squeezes.

Taeyong looks immensely fucked out, back arching off the back, making sounds with each thrust. Changing his angle slightly as Taeyong moans and writhes like crazy under his hold. Jaehyun isn’t sure how long he’s supposed to choke Taeyong at a time, but Taeyong isn’t complaining so he keeps going.

Jaehyun slowly reaches his climax four minutes later. Letting go of Taeyong, Jaehyun sees a red band around his neck, and pulls out. “Taeyong?” Taeyong doesn’t respond. Panic is already rising in Jaehyun’s throat so he nudges Taeyong and he has no resistance. 

Jaehyun forces himself to not think too hard about it. Taeyong’s probably just tired that’s all. He’s a bit freaky and needs to rest up after something like that. So, Jaehyun lays down next to Taeyong, pulls the covers up and falls asleep.

* * *

One thing life never prepares you for is what to do when you accidentally kill someone and then have to deal with their body. Maybe there’s a reason for that. Namely, you’re not supposed to kill people. Jaehyun, up until two days ago, would have agreed with that.

Here he is. The morning after fucking Taeyong and losing his virginity, laying next to Taeyong who is most definetly not alive. Jaehyun can’t think. Jaehyun can’t speak. Jaehyun can’t do anything but stare at his body. The room smells vaguely like rotting flesh, but Jaehyun doesn’t trust his senses.

Taeyong visually looks almost the same. Jaehyun wants to touch him, has to touch him, but something stops him. Even in death, Jaehyun still wants Taeyong and that’s probably a bit fucked up. It definitely  _ is  _ fucked up, yet the longer Jaehyun looks at Taeyong, the more he wants to touch him. Taeyong wouldn’t care. It’s not like he  _ can  _ care anyway.

Jaehyun closes the blind before sitting back down next to Taeyong. He cups Taeyong’s cheek and his body moves with Jaehyun effortlessly. Jaehyun presses a chaste kiss to Taeyong’s lips. He’s not even that cold yet. He’s definitely cooler, but not even room temperature yet. It’s honestly kinda hot and Jaehyun hates himself for it.

Taeyong can’t just lay here; sooner or later someone will ask where the smell is coming from. Jaehyun kisses Taeyong’s lifeless lips once again and gets up in search of some way to get him out of the room without raising suspicion. Stepping into the bathroom, Jaehyun is reminded that he’s naked. He shrinks away from his appearance and goes back into the main room to dress himself. In the dresser mirror, Jaehyun sees Taeyong’s body and something strange turns in his gut. Jaehyun can’t quite place what it is, but it doesn’t feel normal.

Although Jaehyun has never really been normal.

There’s nothing that’s super useful to Jaehyun in the bathroom or in his stuff, so he opens the door and looks in both directions. Once he knows the coast is clear, he grabs a shirt and sticks it in the door so he can get back in the room. Three doors down to the right, Jaehyun sees a plate of food left out with a steak knife left on the plate. An idea pops into Jaehyun’s mind and it isn’t half bad  — h e just has to steal the steak knife.

Tip-toeing down the hall, Jaehyun reaches the door, grabs the knife and practically sprints down the hallway back to his room. Once inside his room, he closes the door all the way. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Jaehyun whispers to himself. He walks over to Taeyong’s body and takes his right hand, giving light kisses to each knuckle. “I love you.” Jaehyun wraps his lips around Taeyong’s fingers one by one, sucking lightly. Satisfied, Jaehyun pulls out the knife, takes a deep breath and starts hacking at Taeyong’s wrist. Taeyong is skeletal so it doesn’t take long to reach bone. 

Jaehyun knows he can’t cut through bone, so he pulls on Taeyong’s hand, trying to expose any more muscles and flesh to cut through. Blood is leaking all over Jaehyun’s hands and pants, but surprisingly it’s not the worst feeling. It’s almost pleasurable in a way. Within a few minutes, Jaehyun has Taeyong’s hand separated from the rest of his body.

Taeyong’s dark red blood drips from his arm onto the sheets and Jaehyun is tempted to taste it. Everything about Taeyong is so captivating from his blood to his cock. Jaehyun places Taeyong’s hand on the bed and sticks one finger into the fleshy part of his arm stump for a drop of blood. His finger comes back dripping. He sucks on his finger like there is no tomorrow, blood tasting sweeter than the nectar of the gods.

Jaehyun wants more. More and more and more. He grabs hold of Taeyong’s arm and leans in close, close enough to see all the details of his perfect skin, mared only by Jaehyun’s own hand. Jaehyun would never admit it, but he’s hard. His cock is throbbing from just being up close. So he bites.

Biting down causes blood to flow into Jaehyun’s mouth, a chunk of chewy flesh comes off and who is Jaehyun to not consume it. For it is Taeyong and Taeyong is perfect. Blood dribbles down Jaehyun’s chin and for the first time in his life he feels at peace. 

Jaehyun doesn’t have enough time to eat all of Taeyong’s supple flesh, so he must separate him into easier pieces to carry for later. Jaehyun knows he can’t stay here, but he knows a place he can go. Back to the woods.

Feeling more rushed, Jaehyun tries to remove Taeyong’s elbow with the knife. Only for the knife to get stuck in his elbow socket. What now? There must be kitchens in here with sharper knives. Taeyong can’t stay like this. Jaehyun rushes to the bathroom to try and get the blood off his face. It only kinda works and Jaehyun looks like he has a sunburn on his face. Guess he should grab a hoodie to hide his face a bit.

Once he’s ready to go back out, Jaehyun gives Taeyong one last kiss, leaves something small in the door so he can get back in and then heads out.

* * *

The layout of the hotel is pretty straight forward. Sneaking down the stairs, Jaehyun sees the front desk. Someone’s standing there, so Jaehyun tries to move by them as quickly as possible. Thankfully, they see nothing. Now, Jaehyun’s faced with a hallway. Deciding to go right, Jaehyun moves hurriedly down the hall and at the end he sees the kitchen. 

There are no sounds coming from the kitchen, so it must not be a meal time. Jaehyun sprints in, scanning around for some sharp objects that could dice Taeyong up nicely. During his hunt, Jaehyun finds a large duffel bag just chilling in the kitchen. While strange, Jaehyun isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Taking the bag and a knife block found on the counter, Jaehyun’s ready to go back to his room. Wanting to avoid the front desk, Jaehyun takes the stairs on the right side of the building and makes his way across the floor all the way back to his room.

“I haven’t even seen anyone besides the front desk guy, so the universe must want me to continue in my mission, Yongie,” Jaehyun says, smiling. “Do you like the nickname, Yongie? Well it’s not like you’re gonna protest if I call you that, so I’ll assume it’s okay.” Jaehyun laughs a bit at his own joke, pulling out the sharpest knife in the knife block.

Jaehyun licks his lips. Where to start? The shoulder is always a good place. Taeyong won’t be needing his arms anymore. Jaehyun arranges Taeyong so he’s flat on the bed and Jaehyun has a solid target. Bringing his arm back, Jaehyun swings.

The knife lodges in Taeyong’s shoulder with the loud crack of bones breaking and blood shoots out back towards Jaehyun with the force placed on the knife. Jaehyun’s veins feel like they’re full of ecstasy. His cock throbs once again in his pants. 

Jaehyun yanks the knife out of Taeyong’s shoulder and swings it again, removing Taeyong’s right arm from his body completely. Picking up the arm, Jaehyun takes a moment to lick at the bleeding wound. It’s so hot, Jaehyun might cum in his pants. 

Grabbing the duffel bag, Jaehyun places the bleeding arm inside along with the hand from earlier. The room has started to smell like blood, so Jaehyun figures he should hurry up.

He repeats the process on the other side and sets Taeyong’s left arm with his right one. Now for the legs. They’d be too long to fit in on their own, so Jaehyun will have to remove them from the knees down first. The first few hacks don’t do too much damage, so Jaehyun thinks he might have to break Taeyong’s knees to get all the stuff to separate.

Jaehyun picks up a lamp, and smashes it over Taeyong’s knees. Both the lamp and his knees shatter. Glass isn’t too fun to eat, so Jaehyun stays away from licking too much at his knees. A precision knife makes everything easier and before Jaehyun knows it, Taeyong has no legs. 

Only two things left to remove. Jaehyun’s mouth practically waters at the thought, but what should be removed first: head or penis. Head first, he decides. Taking the largest knife once again, Jaehyun lines it up with Taeyong’s neck, still covered in red-purple bruises from last night.

One swing and Taeyong no longer has a head connected to his body. Jaehyun cradles Taeyong’s head in his arms like a baby, letting all the blood soak his shirt and down his pants. Blood just keeps coming and when it soaks through Jaehyun’s boxers, he cums. Who knew this is what would get him off so easily? Not even a touch and here he is, cumming in his pants.

Placing Taeyong’s head in the bag with the utmost care, Jaehyun sets his sights back on what’s left of Taeyong. The sheets and walls are covered in blood; Taeyong’s only a torso and cock at this point and Jaehyun kinda loves it.

He takes a smaller, unused knife in his right hand. With his left he grabs the shaft of Taeyong and lines up his knife with the base, and slices. Blood oozes out of Taeyong’s cock and Jaehyun laps it up like he’s going to die of dehydration. Maybe this is what Jaehyun’s life had been building towards? Getting drunk off the sweet sweet blood of his slain lover.

* * *

Jaehyun is never caught. He escapes into the woods after burying what he doesn’t eat of Taeyong in a small patch of grass three miles from any town. Eventually Johnny comes looking for Taeyong, but can’t find any answers and is forced to assume the worst: that Taeyong was killed.

The hotel is under investigation, but no evidence was ever released to the public. Johnny sees the connection in the cases and starts reinvestigating. Johnny goes out hiking near the hotel, not necessarily in hopes of finding Taeyong, but just to get a break from the strangeness of the town.

He stumbles upon the clearing with Taeyong’s makeshift grave. He also stumbles upon a man laying next to the grave with a bone in his mouth, sleeping. Johnny wants to back away, but something causes him to stay and step a bit closer.

The man, Jaehyun, opens his eyes, spits out the bone and sizes up Johnny. “Who are you? And why are you here?” Jaehyun glares at Johnny. Jaehyun hasn’t spoken in weeks, so his voice is all messed up.

“My name is Johnny Suh and I’m here looking for my murdered friend, Lee Taeyong,” Johnny says, still a bit weary of Jaehyun. Jaehyun laughs humorlessly.

“You may have found him. But I don’t think you wanted to find me,” Jaehyun says cryptically. Producing a knife from his pocket, Jaehyun points it at Johnny. “You deserve this.” Then suddenly the knife is flying into Johnny’s eyeball; and everything goes black.

**Author's Note:**

> don't go hiking in the woods bitches its for your own good


End file.
